


It's better being closer to you

by hopelessly_me



Series: HPC 2020 [8]
Category: Marvel
Genre: Clint in a suit, Clint really enjoys pizza, Clint says no, Cuddling, Fluff, M/M, Mild Language, NERVOUS CLINT, Potted Plant - Freeform, Proposals, Relationship Talk, Sick Tony, They are seriously the hugest dorks, Tony says yes, Tony uses this fact to his advantage, Valentine's Day, bed sharing, gotta try that Chicago style pizza, medical bay, sneaky Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-03-07
Updated: 2020-03-09
Packaged: 2021-02-28 17:55:18
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,748
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23051311
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hopelessly_me/pseuds/hopelessly_me
Summary: Clint finds out that Tony is on the medical floor at the Tower when he gets home from a mission.
Relationships: Clint Barton/Tony Stark
Series: HPC 2020 [8]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1619281
Comments: 20
Kudos: 119
Collections: MHEA Harlequin Hoopla Prompt Challenge 2020





	1. Chapter 1

It wasn’t often that Clint was on the other side of the sheets, the one who wasn’t hooked up to machines or in casts. He was used to people annoyingly doting on him, making sure he stayed down and didn’t escape the confines of the medical bay. So being on the other side of the sheets? It was unnerving. But there was no way he was going to be able to leave and feel comfortable with it. No matter how much being in that sterile room made his skin crawl, he wasn’t going to get any sleep while Tony was laying there alone.

Clint wasn’t sure what was even going on with Tony. He just heard from Natasha when he landed that Tony was holed up in medical and he headed straight over, not caring that it was well past one in the morning. He had stopped at one of those places that never seemed to close, not exactly sure what he was looking for, and he settled on some form of a potted plant. The sole nurse working at this hour gave him a pitiful look and didn’t seem to question it, allowing Clint back.

_ He isn’t dying- he’s just sick _ . But Tony looked pale and almost fragile as he laid there, IV giving him fluids and Clint wasn’t exactly sure what else. He had a heart monitor on, which shouldn’t be as funny as it was considering Clint was pretty sure that the arc reactor was in good working condition. It was honestly weird seeing Tony like this, all in bed and not moving around the lab or managing to be everyone’s pain in the ass. Clint was used to him cracking jokes, giving everyone the same  _ you’re precious _ look which had been frustrating at first but now Clint viewed it as a term of endearment.

He wasn’t sure what to do with himself so he hovered by the door, holding the stupid plant and awkwardly trying to decide if he should try again in the morning. He certainly wasn’t going to wake Tony up, and he didn’t feel like it was his business to check his charts. If Tony wanted Clint to know what was up, Tony would tell him. It was his privacy, after all.

“Going to just stand there, bird brain?”

Clint looked up at a slightly dazed looking Tony and cracked the best smile he could, which was still weak. Clint strolled forward, keeping his stride as even as he could. “I… uh… got you a plant.”

Tony looked at the plant before he looked at Clint. “Never would have guessed it was for me,” he quipped and Clint felt a rush of relief. “You are shockingly bad at this for a guy who is always here.”

“I’m used to being on the other side of this,” Clint admitted, setting the plant down.

“Did you run here?” Tony asked. “You're still in your gear.”

“I stripped down the weapons and everything. Figured they wouldn’t let me in packing,” Clint muttered. He slowly sat down in the chair next to Tony. “Get some sleep.”

“I’m wide awake now,” Tony commented. “You know, if being on that side of the bed is weird, you can always climb up here.”

“You sure I’m allowed to?” Clint asked. Tony rolled his eyes and patted the bed next to him. “You are bossy when sick,” Clint pointed out to ease his own tension. “Scratch that, you are just bossier when sick.”

He leaned over and unlaced his boots, setting them off to the side and taking his vest off before he climbed up next to Tony. Before Clint could say another word, Tony slumped over and leaned against him, his body forming against Clint’s. Clint looked down at him, made sure he still looked okay before he could finally settle.

“Worth it?” Clint asked.

“I don’t know. Your hands haven’t found my hair yet,” Tony answered, looking a bit amused.

“Can’t really do it in this position, Tones,” Clint muttered. Tony turned, wedging himself between Clint’s arm and chest forcefully and looked up, almost challenging Clint to say anything. “... fine.” Clint wove his hand up Tony’s spine and to the base of his neck before he started scratching and running his fingers against Tony’s scalp.

“You know I am highly contagious, right?” Tony murmured against Clint’s chest.

Clint wrinkled his nose at the thought. “You trying to tell me I’m going to be here next?” he asked. “Unlike someone, when I am sick I do rehydrate. Might still be an ass about things, but I do drink water.”

“You aren’t going to try lecturing me, are you?” Tony asked, not moving an inch.

“Nah, Steve is better at it than I am,” Clint admitted. “More effective.”

Tony was silent for a minute as Clint’s fingers still brushed against his head and neck, slowly and without a plan. Clint had to stifle a yawn; laying there, he was becoming more tired than he realized . Tony wrapped an arm around Clint’s midsection, squeezing lightly, and his eyes started to zone a bit, filled with a sadness that made Clint’s stomach sink.

“I’m sorry,” Clint said softly. “For what I said. I’m sorry.”

“I know you are,” Tony answered.

“I’ll make it up to you. Dunno how but I’ll figure it out.”

Tony angled his head to look up at Clint. “Just stay here tonight,” he answered. Clint frowned. “Best way to make it up to me. Be in a situation that makes you even more uncomfortable than actually talking about feelings.”

“You’re a shit,” Clint said after a moment before he settled a little more. “You should hate me right now.”

“I should hate you?”

“Or at least be mad. Upset. Angry. I don’t know. Something. Instead, you want… this,” Clint said, tipping his head to the side. “Why?”

“Because this is worth more than not having it at all,” Tony answered. Clint forgot how to breathe for a moment and closed his eyes. “I love you, Clint. But that doesn’t mean you have to say yes to every wacky idea that comes out of my mouth. I’m proud of you for saying no.” Clint reached his free hand up and rubbed his face. “... you are going to cry, aren’t you?”

“Piss off, Tones,” Clint muttered. He felt Tony shifting and settling higher up and when he peeked around his hands and saw those large brown eyes looking up at him, a confident grin on his face, Clint couldn’t help but to laugh. “You tell anyone you  _ almost _ made me cry, I’m going to reprogram Dum-E again.”

“You fight dirty,” Tony growled.

“Not my fault your robots like me better than they like you,” Clint bragged, feeling all the tension leave his body. “I even got JARVIS on my side. I am… invincible.”

“You’re a pain in my ass, Barton.”

“And just think, if I didn’t say no, I was going to be a pain in your ass  _ forever _ ,” Clint snorted.

“Just you wait, Merida,” Tony warned, looking more confident by the minute. His face finally had some color to it despite the sheen of sweat. “One of these days, I am going to get you to accept the marriage proposal and then you are forever stuck with  _ me _ .”

Clint smiled and wrapped his arms around Tony. “I can think of worse things.” Tony looked confused for a moment before it turned hopeful. “No, I did not just say yes. And I am  _ not _ going to say yes. No time soon. But when I do- I can think of worse things than being stuck with you forever.”

“I think next time you should be the one to ask.”

Clint raised an eyebrow. “You just want me to ask next so you can say no.”

“I do enjoy getting even.”

Clint laughed and slouched even more on the bed. “Get sleep, Tony. You’re sick. We can argue about who is going to ask next later. Which, by the way, it’s going to be you. You cave much faster.”

“You’re on, bird brain. Winner gets to pick the honeymoon.”

“Oh, you are definitely losing now,” Clint teased. “I am thinking… Maldives.”

“Funny, I can think of worse places for you to pick and for me to be stuck at with you.”

“Scotland?”

“Scotland,” Tony agreed.

Clint couldn’t help a smile that was spreading, and it seemed to be infecting Tony. “I dunno, Tones. We go to Scotland and I’m wearing a kilt.”

Tony was silent for a minute before he was on the move. “... fuck, now I have to take you to Scotland.” Clint tightened his hold on Tony, keeping him pinned to his spot.

“The bed is  _ not  _ big enough for you to be scrambling like that,” Clint reminded him. “You end up on the floor and I’ve got a list of people who are going to be on my ass.”

“Well if your giant shoulders didn’t take up most of the room,” Tony complained in a joking manner. “Admit it- you just want an excuse to cuddle more.”

“I am pretty sure that was  _ your _ excuse to get me in bed with you,” Clint challenged.

“Caught me.” Clint laughed and closed his eyes. “But I do need to-”

“No.”

“But Clint-”

“Sleep.”

“But  _ babe _ -”

“Tony, I will smother you with a pillow,” Clint threatened half-heartedly. He could feel his lips tipping up when Tony sagged. “We’ll worry about Scotland later after you aren’t sick. For now, let’s try to sleep this off and not fall off the bed.”

“Goals,” Tony muttered.

“Goals.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Clint and Tony visit Chicago for a charity event during Valentine's Day, and Tony buys Clint the only thing he knows his boyfriend won't complain about- pizza. There _might_ have been ulterior motives.
> 
> For the Harlequin Hoopla prompt fill from February 14th- Valentine's Day.

“Wear a suit, you said. It’ll be fun, you said,” Clint griped as they walked out from the Avengers Valentine’s Charity event in Chicago. Clint had protested going to the Windy City but Tony forced him to go, using the “supportive boyfriend” clause to their relationship, as if they had a contract or something. Secretly, Clint was only pitching a fit about it to get a rise out of Tony, and because this suit was a little too tailored for Clint’s comfort. He really didn’t care about going to these events with Tony, as long as Tony stayed close.

“What about that wasn’t fun?” Tony asked.

“Really?” Clint asked, looking over as he loosened his tie enough where he felt like he could breathe. “Okay, so for starters- we really need to figure out a better suit because I hate this thing.”

“And I love you in it. Next.”

Clint rolled his eyes at Tony. “Next- while I think old people are _adorable_ , they don’t need to kiss me. Or you. It’s flu season.”

“If you get sick, I’ll take care of you,” Tony answered breezily.

“Oh, yeah, sure,” Clint answered, trying to hail a cab. “Because the _last_ time I was sick, you basically threw a box of tissues at me and tried to convince me to allow a robot with a TV monitor with your face on it to come into the room.”

“I really don’t see the problem with that.”

“It’s creepy as hell, that’s what’s wrong with it,” Clint informed him. “And the last time you were sick I bought you a… whatever it was.”

“Bonsai tree? Yeah, I remember. It was cute.”

“You killed it,” Clint said dryly.

“I said it was cute, not that I could make it live,” Tony clarified as Clint managed to catch a cab, opening the door for Tony. Tony got in first, rattling off an address before Clint could even close the door.

“That was _not_ the address to the hotel,” Clint said sternly. “Please tell me it’s not another mixer.”

“No, it’s a different hotel,” Tony answered. “I decided I didn’t like the hotel you picked so I picked one for us.”

“Tones,” Clint groaned, rubbing his face. “I checked every inch of the hotel we had picked out. Security and everything. Now I have to-”

“I’ve got it covered, all you have to do is relax,” Tony interrupted him, patting his knee. “And people think I am the uptight one. You just let us get into a cab with who knows who. No offense,” he added to the driver, who only grunted in response.

“I am uptight because I take security seriously when it comes to you,” Clint insisted. “As far as this cab goes… okay, you got me. But it was easier than walking, especially now that I don’t know what hotel we are going to.” Clint sighed and reached over, shoving Tony’s shoulder lightly.

“The room has its own private hot tub,” Tony offered up.

Clint narrowed his eyes, purposely looking at Tony before his eyes flickered to the cab driver and back. “Uh huh. So. What else do you got up your sleeve?” he asked. “Most romantic holiday of the freakin’ year, we agreed no surprises, no gifts. So… what did you do?”

“Nothing more than order our dinner to arrive in about two hours, giving us plenty of time to change and relax,” Tony promised, his fingers brushing over Clint’. “The hotel doesn’t count. We had to stay in one regardless. I just compromised and found something better.”

“Compromise… I’m not sure you are using that word correctly,” Clint mumbled, turning his hand over so that he could better hold Tony’s without looking down, keeping his eyes on the driver and the road ahead of them.

“Going to click that off switch at some point tonight?” Tony asked casually.

Clint wrinkled up his nose in response. Maybe it was a little overkill, a little intense, but Clint sometimes didn’t know _how_ to shut down that side of him that analyzed situations. Even at the event he felt like he was on mission mode despite knowing everyone had been screened three times over. Clint didn’t particularly care about what happened to him, and he knew Tony knew that, but Clint wasn’t willing to put Tony’s life at risk. So he was vigilant, sue him. Maybe after some food, a beer or two, and a long, hot shower Clint could finally switch his mind off and relax into the night.

They pulled outside of the luxe hotel and Clint groaned; he hadn’t meant for the noise to come out but he also couldn’t help it. He fixed Tony with a look he hoped conveyed _you are a rich idiot and I love you despite it_ as he got out of the cab, leaving Tony to pay the fare, one foot in until Tony was moving out.

“My hero, willing to jump into a moving cab should he have to,” Tony teased as they walked up the stairs, a greeter opening the door for them.

“You laugh but one of these days my training is going to pay off,” Clint replied. Once inside, Clint spotted at least five private security members and he wrapped an arm around Tony’s waist, finally feeling the tension leave his shoulders just a fraction. “Thank you.”

“Pretty sure you wouldn’t have agreed to coming to Chicago if I didn’t bring security,” Tony replied as the two piled into the elevator and Tony hit a button. “And you see better from a distance, right?”

“Don’t mock me, Ironass,” Clint replied with a smirk. He leaned over, bumping his shoulder against Tony’s. “So why Chicago?”

“Been awhile since I’ve been in the city,” Tony answered, shrugging. “Steve and Bucky are heading up the New York effort. Natasha and Sam are heading up Florida. Kate and America picked to host one on the West Coast. Spread our efforts, right?”

“So why Chicago?” Clint asked again. Tony closed his eyes and raised his eyebrows for a moment, a grin poking out now. “We are going shopping tomorrow, aren’t we?” Clint asked.

“No, of course not,” Tony answered. “But- I do have a speech to give at the University of Illinois- Chicago tomorrow.”

“I knew it,” Clint laughed. “Killing two birds with one stone. What is this speech on, Mister Scientist?”

“You sure you want to know the answer to that?” Tony challenged, scanning some card when the elevator asked him to. When it opened, Clint walked out, his eyes wide. He walked towards the large window, ditching the suit jacket onto the couch as he went. He crossed his arms and leaned against the glass, looking around the coastline of Chicago, all the buildings lit up below.

“Woah.”

“When’s the last time you have been to Chicago?” Tony asked, joining him.

“Shortly after I left Iowa,” Clint answered. “Never came here for anything S.H.I.E.L.D. related, surprisingly. So… I was seventeen?” It was like looking at New York for the first time when he had moved there, or the first time he saw London- it was large and impressive from this height.

“So… going to take a shower with or without me?” Tony asked. “Or do you need some alone time with the window, breathing against it.”

Clint groaned and turned. “Ruined, Tones. You ruined it,” he joked, losing the tie next. He grabbed Tony’s tie and pulled him in for a kiss. “Let’s go shower. We’ll play the _how many knives does Clint have hidden on him game_ as we undress. Any guesses?”

“You are terrifying, you know that?” Tony asked, walking backwards to an adjoining room. “I can understand it from Natasha and Barnes. But you?”

“Looks are really deceiving, aren’t they?” Clint asked, following Tony in, unbuttoning his shirt. “Not to ruin the surprise, but it’s shockingly only seven because the suit is too tight.”

“Again, I enjoy you in that suit,” Tony said with a confident smile.

After a long, _long_ shower and a change of clothing, Clint felt the day’s stress start to melt away, which was a problem because now he was exhausted. Tony was sitting up on the bed, typing away on his computer, catching up on emails, and Clint was laying down on his stomach, head turned to look outside. He never would have guessed that the sound of a keyboard was going to be soothing but it was.

Clint perked up at the knock on the door and Tony sat his laptop down, springing up to grab it. Clint groaned and rolled out of bed, stretching and shuffling his way to the main living space just in time to see the end of the exchanging of money and a box. The delightful aroma finally hit and Clint’s mouth watered.

“Pizza,” he said, leaning over Tony’s back, head nestled on his shoulder close to his neck.

“Pizza,” Tony agreed. “If you want it, you are going to have to move.” Clint snorted and reached around, flipping the lid open before he laughed. “What? We are in _Chicago_. It would be a sin to not eat Chicago style.”

“You actually made it possible for me to not be able to eat pizza standing,” Clint replied, peeling himself away from Tony. Tony wiggled his eyebrows and walked to the table, setting the box down as Clint grabbed drinks. “So what exactly do you get out of this Valentine’s Day?” he asked before he slouched down in his chair, tugging a slice closer to his being.

“Well, I spent all day with you, which was a bonus,” Tony said. “You in that suit. You with no bandages. You smiling and trying to fend off little old ladies as politely as you can. And that whimper when you saw that dog but you couldn’t pet it because it was shedding and you were in a suit?” Tony held a hand over his heart and closed his eyes, and Clint was about to tell him what a dramatic little B he was being. He did _not_ whimper, but he sure as hell wanted to.

“I love you,” Clint said through a laugh before he picked up the messy slice of pizza, turning it around in his hands. “Here goes nothin’, let’s see if it beats New York style.” It had been well over a week since Clint had pizza last, which was a damn shame. Clint took a large bite out of it and leaned back, tipping his head back and closing his eyes. “Ugh, so good,” he moaned. “Marry me.”

“Okay. Let’s do it.”

Clint tilted his head back down and went to take another bite before he noticed Tony staring at him with that _smirk_ . It was that knowing, sassy, _you are in for it_ smirk and Clint hesitated before he lowered his slice of pizza. “What?”

“I said okay. Let’s do it.”

“Let’s do what?” Clint asked.

“You said marry me. So… I said okay, let’s do it,” Tony explained.

Clint stared at him, trying to process the thought before he swore and dropped his slice onto the lid of the box. “No. No, that doesn’t _count_.”

“It counts,” Tony argued. “It so counts.”

“Okay but you can’t give me pizza and expect me not to propose,” Clint whined.

“Which is why I gave you pizza,” Tony answered. “Three years, Clint. Long time to get to know people’s mannerisms. You mimic the things I do? I learn all the quirks behind you.”

_Well that explains the lack of pizza for over a week._ Clint tried to not be amused by trick, tried to not smile back at a proud Tony. But it was hard when the plan had been genius, and it wasn’t like Clint could tell him that, his head would likely explode. And there was no time, or reason, to be upset, not when Clint now had to come back with his own stunt to get back at Tony… somehow.

Clint crossed his arms and leans back in the chair. “Are we really going to be that couple that gets engaged on Valentine’s Day?”

“Hey, you should have said yes three months ago if you didn’t want to propose on Valentine's day,” Tony said, pulling a slice of pizza over to him and grabbing a knife and a fork. “So yep- we are one of those couples.”

“Alright but when we tell everyone this story I am telling them you tricked me,” Clint stated.

“Whatever makes you sleep at night, Mr. Stark,” Tony said with a grin and Clint felt his eye twitch. “No? We’ll work on it. But you know the one thing that isn’t negotiable?” Clint shrugged as he took another bite of his pizza. “Scotland.”

Clint groaned and stared at the ceiling. “Awww, kilts, no.”

“Kilts yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So Verdantmoth is a terrible influence, but it is their birthday (tomorrow I believe?) so... Happy birthday boo!

**Author's Note:**

> For the HPC prompt fill "one bed"- I think this counts? Chose to do the non-presents one. Y'all really don't want to see me attempt anything sexy. I ain't got a sexy bone in my body lol  
> Anyway- hope you enjoyed!


End file.
